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Staff Welfare.

121. Preliminary steps have been taken for the commence- ment of a Sports and Recreation Club for the staff as a whole. An application is being made to Government for a site for a sports ground and clubhouse. This club will, it is anticipated, serve further to improve morale and fellowship amongst the staff.

Auxiliary Medical Service.

122. The Auxiliary Medical Service was established in 1950 by regulations made under the Essential Services Corps Ordinance. It is a unit within the Essential Service Corps and its unit controller is the Director of Medical and Health Services. The purpose of the Service is to supplement medical services in times of emergency; substantial progress was made towards this objective during the year. With the co-operation of the St. John Ambulance Brigade the casualty collecting service has been built up to a reasonable standard of efficiency and the scope of the service has been expanded. Field training exercises were carried out continuously. Training of auxiliary dressers to work in hospitals has continued and the point has been reached where almost all the personnel needed for the scheme have received at least one course of ward training.

Blood Banks.

123. The blood banks at Queen Mary and Kowloon Hospitals work in close co-operation with the Hong Kong Branch of the British Red Cross Society, the latter being responsible for the collection of more than 80% of all blood used in Hong Kong and Kowloon, while the banks act as storage and distribution centres. Blood is supplied without charge to all hospitals and doctors throughout the Colony when required in emergency. Each bank is staffed by one nursing sister and one male attendant.

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124. A plasma drying unit consisting of a vertical spin freezer and a centrifugal vacuum machine was installed at Queen Mary Hospital Blood Bank in the early part of September, but so far there has been little surplus blood for plasma produc- tion. Nevertheless, sufficient has been available to enable experiments to be conducted and as a result it has been found necessary to order additional minor equipment.

IX. TRAINING OF PERSONNEL

Liaison with University.

125. As has been mentioned frequently throughout this report the Medical Department co-operates closely with the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Hong Kong in the training of medical students. Many members of the Govern- ment staff act as part-time lecturers and during the year the Director of Medical and Health Services acted as Professor of Social Medicine. Students of medicine and the social sciences attend various Government institutions for clinical instruction and field observation. After qualification medical graduates are required to do one year post graduate work under supervision as house officers before qualifying for registration and these young doctors are largely employed in the various Government hospitals for this experience.

Nursing Staff.

126. An important part of the work of the Medical Depart- ment is the training of nurses (male and female) and midwives. Recruitment of student nurses and dressers continued to be satisfactory but in the early part of the year 9 student nurses and 1 dresser failed to pass the Preliminary Training School Examinations and 4 student nurses and 2 student dressers found they had chosen the wrong profession and resigned. Twenty- seven nurses and 2 dressers passed the Final Nursing Board Examination and 24 students qualified as Midwives.

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